By TOM SOTER
For SHOOT’s Winter Top 10 spot tracks, the top three spots all have one striking characteristic in common: they contain almost no dialogue and are driven mostly by their soundtracks. The Web site eTour, that connects users with sites of interest, used the image of a plane driving through suburbia in "Aviation." The score for the ad is an industrial piece that propels the action, and according to Kevin Roddy, a creative director at Fallon McElligott, New York, it was necessary for the spot to have a strong score. "We felt the music needed to have a driving beat, sort of mechanical," explains Roddy. "It’s a plane and we wanted the music to reflect that."
IBM’s "Supermarket" is accompanied by a playfully sinister piece of techno music, which is underscored by subtle sound design. The spot depicts a man who is presumably shoplifting. The agency and the music house worked on the track for four weeks, experimenting with several styles of music before eventually going with the techno composition. "Shoplifting can look like you’re having a good time, or else it can be dark and sinister-we wanted to skew it more to the fun side," explains Brian Banks, the composer for the spot.
CNET’s "Dance" features a rather awkward couple dancing together to illustrate how CNET. com helps consumers find the right technology products. The spot is backed by a basic and ethereal tune, something the agency felt was necessary for the spot’s success. "We wanted something really, really simple, especially for television, where you see all the ads for dot com companies and they all try so hard to see who can outdo the next company," explains Leagas Delaney copywriter Matt Elhardt. Following is a look at how the music and sound design for the top three was created.
Endeavor Group Sells Professional Bull Riders, On Location and IMG To Parent of WWE and UFC
The parent company of WWE and UFC is buying Professional Bull Riders, On Location, and IMG from Endeavor Group in an all-stock deal valued at $3.25 billion.
The deal is part of Endeavor's efforts to shed some of its assets as it looks to be taken private in a proposed transaction with private equity firm Silver Lake, which was announced in April. Ariel Emanuel, who serves as CEO of Endeavor, is also executive chair and CEO of TKO.
Professional Bull Riders is a bull riding league that has more than 200 annual live events, approximately 1.25 million fans, and reaches more than 285 million households in more than 65 territories. On Location is live event company for more than 1,200 sporting events, such as the Super Bowl, Ryder Cup and NCAA Final Four. IMG is a distributor and producer of sports content, packages and sells media rights and brand partnerships, and provides consulting, digital services and event management to clients such as the National Football League and National Hockey League.
Parent company TKO Group said Thursday that the acquisition from Endeavor Group will complement its existing businesses as well as broaden its reach in the premium sports market.
"PBR, On Location, and IMG are industry-leading assets that meaningfully enhance TKO's portfolio and strengthen our position in premium sports globally," TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro said in a statement. "Within TKO, they will help power the growth of our revenue streams and position us to capture even more upside from some of the most attractive parts of our sports ecosystem: media rights, live events, ticket sales, premium experiences, brand partnerships, and site fees."
As part of the deal, Endeavor will receive about 26.14 million common units of TKO... Read More